The fear this season was always Edmonton's woeful lack of offence. They were so stacked on defence they didn't know what to do with all the bodies, and their coach preached defensive responsibility above all else, but they couldn't score a lick.

So here we are, 32 games in and they're scoring up a storm - 26 goals in their last seven games - but they can't keep the puck out of their own net to save their lives.

For the second night in a row the Oilers got all the goals they ever should have needed, scoring four goals in regulation and one more in the shootout, but they struggled to keep their heads above water in their own zone.

It cost them a 5-4 overtime loss in Dallas, but they survived their defensive deficiencies last night to beat the Blues 5-4.

They're now 14-16-2, with a Thursday night game in Detroit waiting on the horizon.

St. Louis opened the scoring on David Backes' power play goal at 6:39, but Shawn Horcoff tied it with his team-leading 15th goal of the season at 15:42. It was the first time in six games the Blues (10-3-0) at the Scottrade Centre this season, have allowed a first period goal at home.

Good news for Edmonton.

Doug Weight put the Blues up 2-1 1:03 into the second period and once again Edmonton answered. Dustin Penner, who has eight points in his last nine games, squared it on a feed from Horcoff 35 seconds later.

"When he gets skating he's a handful," said head coach Craig MacTavish. "He's been pretty good the last little while. I've been excited by what I've seen the last eight or 10 games."

The tandem of Steve Staios and Ladisalv Smid, on the ice for four of the five Dallas goals Monday, combined on terrible gaffes to set up the next two Blues goals. They both converged on Brad Boyes' linemate at the faceoff circle, leaving one of the NHL's hottest hands all alone in the slot. He had all day and night to beat Mathieu Garon, which he did at 7:05.

And neither of them were even in the picture when replays showed Weight scoring at 16:03 to put the Blues up 4-3, just minutes after Sheldon Souray had tied it up for Edmonton on a bomb from the point.

Smid barely saw the ice in the third period.

St. Louis, 10-0 when leading after 40 minutes, took a 4-3 lead into the intermission.

It looked like they had it locked, but Fernando Pisani tied it on the power play with just over four minutes left.

Healthy scratches last Friday, Jarret Stoll and Raffi Torres both took stupid penalties with 2:18 left in a tie game (Stoll for boarding and Torres for interference, giving St. Louis a five-on-three for a full two minutes, and very nearly the game).

But it was an amazing kill by Tom Gilbert, Joni Pitkanen, Pisani, Staios and Mathieu Garon to get them to overtime.

After going 28 games without a goal, Weight has four in his last three games, three of them against Edmonton.

LATE HITS ... Souray's shoulder held up well enough to drop Jamal Mayers with a short left during a third period scrum ... The Blues honoured veteran centre Keith Tkachuk, who played his 1,000th NHL game last Saturday, in a pre-game ceremony ... Allan Rourke and Zack Stortini were healthy scratches. Dick Tarnstrom (concussion)and Geoff Sanderson (back), remain on IR.